Golf practice device



L. M. BALES GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE Filed 001;. 7, 1940 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

July 8, 1941.

' golf course.

Patented July 8 i941 U NIT ED STATE-S PATENT Q'F- F'ICE GOLF-PRACTICEnuvron Love'tte M. Bales, Long BeachfCali'f. Application October 7,1940, Serial No.-'359;982

4 Claims.

The present invention pertains to a device adapted for use in teachingthe coordination, accuracy, power and change of pace -which is necessary:in playing golf. Generally stated, :the invention pertains to an-arrangement of fairways, roughs, playing tees, targets and lightsources whereby a profesisonal or instructor may observe, criticize andinstruct a player under conditions simulating actual course, conditionsand situations without the loss of time and 'extensive areas incidentalto the use of an actual The lighting .arrangement Ihereinabove referredto is designed to produce progressively increasing illumination over the:playing field with increasing distance from the tee stands, whereby thevisibility of theball is maintained substantially constant throughoutthe length of the playing field.

The instruction of players in the game of golf is ordinarily atime-consuming procedure. Driving ranges have been established in manycities where a player may drive large numbers of balls for the purposeof exercise. and practice but such driving ranges have been found tobe-detrimental to the player in that in most instances a prolongeddriving session, places the player under considerable strain, which isnot representative of the game and'does not require the, use ofdiiferent clubs, so that a player does not become familiar with thechange of pace which is a necessary element of the game. Moreover,driving ranges ordinarily do not penalize the player for shots whichhave been hooked :or sliced, nor does a player attempt to place hisshots but instead drives with all his might for the longest possibledistance. In actual play, however, precise distances need be attained inorder to be able to playa course in par and this again requires accuracyin placement.

The present invention is directed toward means whereby the training,instruction and education of a player may proceed expeditiously underthe supervision of a competent instructor within a limited area and withproper emphasis upon proper placement of the ball, change of pace,coordination, all of Which are characteristic of the game. Theeducational device of this invention imposes penalties forvmisjudgment'and inaccuracies whereby a complete and interestingcompetitive game may be provided for a number of players simultaneouslyand which permits the instructor to properly evaluate the student insuch terms as mechanical ability, mental :ability or reasoning processespreliminary to theactual physical action ofplaying .a shot, positivepsychology and subconscious routine or adherence to morrect form andmethod. Furthermore, .by providing lighting :means which illuminate thefull Cclisc :of Lthe receding ball with respect to the playerts line ofwision, :the apparatus. may .be effectively employed at ..'night withoutLthe .ordie narily necessary rapid .eye muscle and :lens .accommodationwhich :renders yer-y unsatisfactory the use :of ordinary .zdrivingrangesat night. i

Briefly stated, the apparatus of .the zpresent invention comprises ;aninstruction field :having a plurality pf :tee stands and :a playingfield .extending from the tee :stands. .The playing field is providedwith elevated spaced transverse harriers, :the elevation-of the tops ofat ;least some of said barriers progressively "increasing with .distance:of barriers from the tee stands. The playing field is .iurthermoredividedinto 1a fairway and a rough on :either .side ;of the fairway.Target ;greens are {provided between the transverse barriers and the:tee :stands andlight sources are sarrangedadjacent the transversebarriers and away from the stands, :such light sources being of anumberand size to produce progressively increasing .-illumination.oi an objectover .the playing field with increasing =,distance5from the tee stands.The barriers-areprogressively elevated, areas on either :side of .thefairway having a lower valuation in yardage than those in the fairway.so that improper placement of the balls in the roughs automaticallyimposes a penalty and permits a more -accurate-evalution of .the playersability. :The targets placed between the tee .stands :and the nearesttransverse barrier permit the player to use the allotted clubs and theinstructorito supervise their use without-having :the player andinstructor move away from the instruction ,tee stand. A sand trap and aputting green may adjoin the tee stand for the purpose of permittinginstruction ,in explosion shots or the-like. 7

"An object ofthe present'invention, therefore, is to provide aneducational device whereby players *may be instructed in golf "in arapid, economical, facile and-expeditious manner.

f urther object is to provi'dean instruction field which :may be used atnight without loss in .eificiency.

:A still further object is toprovide-means for teaching and ;playinggolf in which the varied conditions which are met on an actual coursecan-be duplicated withina limited area.

.These and other objects .of the invention will becomeapparentto thoseskilledinthe art from certain illustrative .forms 1 of the invention. In

front of the tee stands is a playing field provided with a plurality oftransversely extending spaced elevated barriers, generally indicated-at16,11,-

I8, I9, etc. The average elevation-of the-playing field may be lowerthan the elevation of the tee stands II to I4, although not necessarilyso The playing field is furthermore divided into a fairway and adjacentroughs. delineated by means of markers or barriers 2'6 and, 2I extendinglongitudinally of the, playing field, these markers or barriers 2U and2| preferably, but not necessarily, diverging one from the other as theyrecede from the-tee stands. A rough may exist on either side of.thegfairway,

each rough being defined by a marker approximately parallel totheadjacent fairwaymarker and spaced therefrom. As shownin thedrawing,.markers or barriers 22 and 23 may define the roughs; forexample, the area between barriers 20. and 22 constitutes a roughwhereas the area between and 2| limits the fairway;

Between the transverse barrier or marker closest to the tee stands II toI4 but at a dis-' tance of say to yards, one or more targets or targetscreens are provided. Such-target screens are indicated at 25, 26 and21.

' 1 Irrespective of the contour of the playingfield,

themarkers or barriers I6, 11, Band I9 areso 4 arranged that their upperportions are preferably at progressively higher elevations as theirdistance increases from-the tee stands, so that'a partof each marker orbarrier may be seen from the'tees II to I4. This progressivelyincreasing height of the barriers is best illustrated in Fig. 2.- i Thearea to each'side of the'barriers 22 and 23 may be'deemed out of bounds.Each of the transverse barriers I6, I'I, I8,"I9, etc., is suitablymarked with a legend indicating the distance 7 from thetee stand.For-example, the transverse barrier I8 may carry 'the numeral 100,indicating that a ball falling into the space immediately in front ofthis transverse barrier may be valued as having an effective distance of100 yards. The numeral and evaluation 100 only applies to the areabetween the transverse barrier I8 and thefairway markers 20 and 2|, thebarrier I8 carrying the numeral 75 on either side of the fairway therebyplaci'ng avaluation of only 75 yards on ya ball falling immediately infront of said barrier but between the fairway markers and the roughmarkers, 22 and' 23. A player attempting to drive 100 yards is thereforepenalized 25 yards in the event hisball does not land in the fairway butinstead lands in the rough immediately in front of barrier I8; .This'arrangement imposes upon the player a degree of accuracy which would benecessary in actual play. 1

j Adjacent the tee stands II to I4 maybe a sand trap'30 and a puttinggreen3l so-thatan instructor, by simply moving-from atee stand to thetrap, may demonstrate and-instruct a player The fairway maybe in methodsof removing a ball from a hazard ployed at night, sources ofillumination are sources being preferably placed on that side of placedadjacent the transverse barriers or markers such as the barriers I8, I9,etc., these light Y the barrier which is removed from the tee stands.

obliquely upwardly and away from the tee Light sources are indicated inFig. 1 at 32, 33, 34. .Theselight sources are preferably directed standsII to I4. These light sources are of a number and size adapted toproduce progres- "si vely increasing illumination on an object over theplaying field with increasing distance from the'tee stands. For example,the light sources stare stronger than the light sources 32. The lightsources 34 may be of the same power (individually) .as the light sources33 but their number has been increased (as is evident in Fig. 1) so.ias'to produce a higher concentration of light. In this manner,substantially the entire disc of a; receding, ball driven from the ,teestands is illuminated, by the light sources and the intensity of theillumination in footcandles increases as the ball recedes from thestudent or player thereby permitting the student or player to clearlysee his driven ball throughout its flight and more accuratelydeterminethe. precise barrier beyond which the ball disappears.Moreover, in the event instruction is being given to alarge number ofplayersat the same time, each player may keep track of hisballwithoutconfusion due to the progressively greater light concentration onthe receding ball and the resultant greater definition at longerdistances.

Thetransverse markers or barriers I6, l1, l8,

I9, etc., may be of solid construction or may comprise a lattice worksurmounted by an opaque upper portion as shown in Fig. 3. Suitableprotection must be. given to the light sources 33, 34, and the like. Inview of the numerous modifications which maybe indulged in inconstructing the transverserbarriers, .coming within the-skillofconstruction engineers, it is not necessary to go into details in theprecise con-' struction of.such markers. Attention may be called to: thefact, however, that the longitudi-' nally extending markers or barrierssuch a s-2Il, 2|, 22 and 23, may comprise canvas or board stripsconnecting the upper portions of the transverse barriers.

as well as the sand trap 30 and putting green 3|.

example, the first hole of the course may be 375' yards, par 4; Thepupil may be given three balls for thlShOlG. Onhis' first drive thepupil will attempt to obtain as lengthy'a distance'as possible, and'in'the event his ball falls between the transverse barriers l6 and l1and in the fairway delineated by the longitudinal barriers '20 and 2|,he will be credited with 200 yards. The player now knows that he has 175yards to make on his second ball in order to reach the imaginary green.On his second shot the player is therefore forced to attempt toplace'his ball between the barriers I1 and I8 in order to gain thisdistance. Accuracy of placement is thus imposed upon the pupil, and inthe-eventof a hook or slice which carries him into the rough, as forexample, into the spaces between and I! or 22 and 18, he would be onlycredited with 150 yards, leaving the player 25 yardsshort of theimaginary green. In the event that the ball on the second shot falls inan out of bounds area (outside of barriers 22 and 23) the player may bepenalized one stroke. He' is also penalized a stroke whenever he failsto make the precise distance required on the drive and wood-shots inreaching the imaginary green. After playing the allotted fairway ballson an given hole, the player may either move to a putting green 3| forthe purpose of sinking a putt, or in the event he was but slightly shortof the total distance required on his fair-way balls, he may be causedto play a chip shot by using a lofted club for the purpose of placingthe ball upon one of the targets 25, 26, and 21. In placing this loftedclub shot, the pupil is required to place the ball within the target onthe carry. If fails in this attempt, two strokes may be added to thosepreviously incurred, since failure of an'approach shot of this sortordinarily in actual play would involve two shots on the green.

In other words, by permitting the pupil to play a complete round of playon an imaginary course of predetermined length and of predetermined parvalue, the pupil is subjected to the same change of pace to which hewould be subjected on the actual course. It is not necessary to employthe putting green 3| in the course of such play provided the pupilregulates his drives accurately and properly places his last ball uponone of the targets. Whether or not a putt shall follow the lofted shotmay depend entirely upon the instructor. Some instructors prefer to giveputting lessons independently, although in many instances, it isdesirable to have the player perform at least one putt on each holeplayed on the device.

The pupil may be provided not only with the distance of each hole butwith a diagram illustrating the course which he is presumably playing,and in the event the second fairway ball falls short or is hooked orsliced, and it appears from the diagram of the actual course that inactual play such a ball would have landed in a sand trap, the instructormay take the pupil to the sand trap and cause the pupil to explode theball out of the trap, thereby again subjecting the pupil to instructionin overcoming a condition in which he would normally find himself on anactual course by reason of an inaptitude on the fairway.

The turfed mound immediately in back of sand trap 30 may be used by theinstructor in teaching the pupil to handle a ball on a downhill or anuphill lie.

It is to be remembered that in actual play the player will employdriver, brassie, long iron, medium iron, short iron, pitch shots, etc.The facility with which a player handles all of these clubs is importantin determining where a player is most prone to make mistakes and inwhich departmentof play he requires correction. It will be seen that thedevice of this invention permits the instructor or professional toobserve the pupil under all conditions which a player would encounterinan actual course of play without the necessity of spending a great dealof time in walking between shots and without consuming a great dealoftime ordinarily lost in waiting on players already ahead. Moreover, acourse of instruction on the device of this invention does not subjectthe pupil to the strain of an intensive one-hole lesson in only one typeof shot and renders the instruction period not only more interestingbut, at the same time, more conducive to the development of correct golfhabits. It permits the player to develop the ability of correctlyselecting clubs. It permits the pupil to. develop self-reliance andconfidence; it subjects the pupil to a visualization of conditionsencountered upon an actual course'and a more thorough. understanding ofthe game.

By observing his pupil actual performance on'the golf course (aspermitted in the device of, this invention), the instructor can acquirepersonal, and intimate knowledge of his pupils current playing errorsand deficiencies and may then. direct. his attention to a-correction ofthese errors in a much more intelligent mannen Allaround playing abilityis thus much more quickly developed.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that golf instruction isgreatly facilitated by the device of this invention, and by reason ofthe novel lighting arrangement instruction may be carried outat-night aswell as in the day time, and all conditions found on an actual coursecan be encountered at all times. The penalties imposed on theplayerbyreason of balls falling out of bounds or failure to cause a ball to landon a target, etc., may be changed, and the examples herein given are notto be considered as limitations but simply as suggestions. It is also tobe noted that the device is adapted to competitive play whereby three orfour pupils may play a complete round on the device in much the same waythat they would play an actual course, the device thereby furnishingfacilities for competitive play and practice under conditionssubstantially identical to those which would be encountered on an actualcourse.

All changes, modifications and adaptations of the invention embraced bythe appended claims are included within the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a golf instruction field, the combination of: a plurality of teestands; a playing field extending from said tee stands; elevated spacedtransverse barriers on said playing field, the elevation of the tops ofat least some of said transverse barriers progressively increasing withdistance of barriers from the tee stands; a fairway defined on saidplaying field by a pair of spaced markers extending longitudinally ofsaid field; a rough on either side of said fairway, each rough beingdefined by a marker approximately parallel to the adjacent fairwaymarker and spaced therefrom; light sources adjacent said transversebarriers on sides removed from the tee stands, the number and size oflight sources adjacent barriers further removed from the tee standsbeing greater than the number and size of light sources adjacentbarriers closer to the tee stands, said light sources being directedobliquely upward and away from said tee stands to pro duce progressivelyincreasing illumination of an object over the playing field withincreasing distance. from the tee stands, whereby power and j accuracy.of the balls played from the tee stands may be readily evaluated.

- 2. In a golf instruction field, the combination spaced markersextending longitudinally of said fieldysaid markers diverging as theyrecede from the tee stands; arough on either side of said fairway, eachrough being defined by a marker approximately parallel to the adjacentfairway I marker and spaced therefrom; target greens on 1 said playingfield between said transverse barriers and the tee stands; a pluralityof light sources adjacent said transverse barriers on sides removed fromthe tee stands, the number and size of light sources adjacent barriersfurther removed from the tee stands being greater than 5 the numbers andsize of light sources adjacent 1 barriers closer to the tee stands, saidlight sources being directed obliquely upward and away from said teestands to produce progressively increasing illumination of an objectover the play- 1 ing field with increasing distance from the-tee stands,whereby power and accuracy of balls played ,from the tee stands may bereadily 3 evaluated. I

3; In a golf instruction field, the combination of: a plurality of teestands; a playing field extending from such tee stands; elevated spacedtransverse barriers on said playing field, the elevation of the tops ofat least some of said transverse barriers progressively increasing withdis- 3 of: aflplurality of tee stands; a playing field extending fromsaid tee stands; elevated spaced j transverse barriers on said playingfield, the elevationof the tops of at least some of saidtransversebarriers progressively increasing with distance of barriers from the teestands; a fairway defined on said playing field by a pair of tanceofbarriers from the tee stands; and light sources adjacent said transversebarriers on sides removed from the .tee stands, the number and size oflight sources adjacent barriers further removed from the tee standsbeing greater than the number and size of light sources adjacentbarriers, closer to the tee stands, said light sources being directedobliquely upward and away from the tee stand to produce progressivelyincreasing illumination of an object over the playing field withincreasing distance from the tee stands.

4. In a golf instruction field, the combination 7 of: a plurality of teestands; a playing field extending from such tee stands; elevated spacedtransverse barriers on said playing field, the elevation of the tops ofat least some of said transversebarriers progressively increasingwithdistance from the tee stands; a fairway defined on said playing field bya pair of spaced markers extending longitudinally of said field, saidmarkers diverging as they recede from the tee stands; a rough on eitherside of said fairway; light sources adjacent said transverse barriers onsides removed from the tee stands, the number and size of light sourcesadjacent barriers further removed from the tee stands being greater thanthe number and size of light sources adjacent barriers closer to the teestands, said light sources being directed obliquely upward and away fromsaid tee stands to produce progressively increasing illumination of an"object over the playing field with increasing distance from the teestands, whereby power and accuracy of balls played from the tee standsmay be readily evaluated; a sand trap and a turfed mound adjacent saidtee stands,

whereby instruction facilities are provided forsimulating all conditionsencountered in actual play upon an actual course.

I LOVETTE M. BALES.

